Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
  • A47J31/00—Apparatus for making beverages
  • A47J31/04—Coffee-making apparatus with rising pipes
  • A47J31/053—Coffee-making apparatus with rising pipes with repeated circulation of the extract through the filter
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
  • A47J31/00—Apparatus for making beverages
  • A47J31/44—Parts or details or accessories of beverage-making apparatus
  • A47J31/4403—Constructional details
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
  • A47J31/00—Apparatus for making beverages
  • A47J31/18—Apparatus in which ground coffee or tea-leaves are immersed in the hot liquid in the beverage container

Definitions

• the invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of preparing a beverage from a solvent and ingredients.
• the invention may be used in the field of beverage preparation.
• tea rinsing is a necessary step in in the tea making process, wherein the first tea brew is not consumed and is either thrown away or used for other purposes like cup rinsing. Then, after rinsing the tea leaves, the tea leaves are brewed in water, resulting in the tea beverage. In spite of modern tea production methods that greatly improve tea cleanliness and hygiene, the practice of tea rinsing still persists.
• Patent US 201010263549 Al describes an infusing apparatus or beverage container including a container, a perforated infuser configured to be positioned in the container, and an actuator including an activating member and an actuator body.
• the activating member is accessible from outside the interior space and rotatably coupled with respect to the container, and the actuator body is rotatably coupled to the infuser, such that rotation of the actuator body with respect to the container can lower and raise the infuser with respect to the container to selectively begin and cease an infusion process and drink the resulting beverage without having to remove ingredients placed in the infuser.
• Patent US 201010263549 Al is adapted to perform brewing of ingredients, but has some limitations in the sense that it is not adapted to perform preliminary rinsing of ingredients put in the infuser. If a user of this apparatus wants to perform preliminary rinsing of ingredients, the user must manually throw away the beverage in the container resulting from the rinsing process, which is not convenient. Moreover, if a user performs this manual rinsing step, some nutrients contained in the ingredients may also be carried away because the rinsing can hardly be controlled by the user, thereby risking reducing the nutritional contents of the beverage obtained after brewing.
• the apparatus according to the invention comprises:
• This apparatus allows preparing a beverage from a solvent and ingredients by subjecting the ingredients to preliminary rinsing in a manner which is simple for the user. Also, this apparatus allows the user to easily control the rinsing of ingredients with respect to time, amount of water, etc., thereby minimizing nutritional loss (e.g. catechins in tea) during rinsing the ingredients.
• nutritional loss e.g. catechins in tea
• Fig.l depicts schematically an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.2 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.3 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.4 depicts top views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.5 depicts cross-sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.6 depicts top views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.7 depicts cross-sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.8 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.9 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.10 depicts top views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.l 1 depicts cross- sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.12 depicts top views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.13 depicts cross-sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.14 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.15 depicts top views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.16 depicts cross sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.17 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.18 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.19 depicts cross-sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.20 depicts top views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.21 depicts cross-sectional views of an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.22 depicts a drainage assembly used in an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.23 depicts an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.24 depicts an apparatus according to the invention
• Fig.25 depicts an apparatus according to the invention.
• Fig.l depicts an apparatus 10 for preparing a beverage from a solvent 11 and ingredients 12 according to an embodiment of the invention.
• the apparatus 10 comprises:
• a second system adapted to assume a first position PI for carrying solvent being in the infuser from said container, and a second position P2 for carrying solvent being in the infuser back into said container.
• the solvent is preferably selected, without limitation, from among the following solvents, or a mix of the following solvents: water, mineral water, tap water, salted water, alcohol.
• the ingredients may be selected, without limitation, from among at least one of the following ingredients: tea leaves, plant leaves, coffee grind, herbs, plant roots, fruits, dry fruits.
• the second system After the solvent has been carried into the infuser by the first system 15, the second system allows carrying solvent being in the infuser from said container, as schematically illustrated by arrow Fl, and carrying solvent being in the infuser back into said container, as schematically illustrated by arrow F2.
• the step of carrying solvent being in the infuser from said container is used to rinse ingredients in the infuser.
• the second system By positioning the second system in the first position PI during a given period of time, for example a time duration indicated to the user depending on the ingredients used, part of the solvent initially in the container is carried by the first system 15 into the infuser for rinsing the ingredients, and the solvent in the infuser is then carried out of the container., By positioning the second system in the second position P2 after rinsing of the ingredients has been performed, the solvent in the infuser is carried back into the container so that the closed circulation of the solvent from the container to the infuser allows brewing the ingredients. This closed circulation is continued until the solvent in the container has reached a desired level of infusion of ingredients in the solvent.
• the infuser 14 is preferably placed at an upper part of the container, above the solvent.
• the container comprises a bottom part BP that is used to strengthen the structure of the container, or to embed various elements, as will be further detailed herein below.
• the second system is the infuser 14 itself.
• the infuser comprises a drainage assembly having a first end El and a second end E2.
• the first end El is intended to communicate with solvent being inside said infuser.
• the drainage assembly may correspond to:
• the container comprises walls which are shaped so as to be asymmetric in section, such that said second end E2 can communicate with the exterior of said container in said first position PI), and such that said second end E2 can communicate with the interior of said container in said second position P2.
• Fig.4-10-15 depict top views of an apparatus according to the invention, also represented via cross-sections depicted in Fig.5-11-16, respectively, where the walls of the container are elliptically shaped. In this case, the walls of the container extend along two main axes, with a different length along each of said two axes. Similarly (not shown), the walls of the container could be rectangular- shaped. As depicted in Fig.
• the second system is the infuser 14 itself.
• the container comprises an exit path EP.
• the infuser comprises:
• a drainage assembly having a first end El and a second end E2), said first end El being intended to communicate with solvent being inside said infuser, and said second end E2 being intended to communicate with said exit path EP in said first position PI, and to communicate inside said container in said second position P2,
• Fig.6- 12-20 depict top views of an apparatus according to the invention, also represented in the cross-sectional views of Fig.7-13-21, respectively.
• the exit path EP has one part extending inside the container, and one part extending outside the walls of the container.
• the second end of the drainage assembly is located above the part of the exit path being inside the container, which results in the solvent in the infuser 14 being carried out of the container via the exit path, whereas when the infuser 14 is in the second position P2), the second end of the drainage assembly is more located above the part of the exit path being inside the container, which results in the solvent in the infuser 14 being carried back into the container.
• the infuser is adapted to rotate from the first position PI to the second position P2), and to rotate from the second position P2 to the first position PI. If the center of the infuser is taken as a reference, the angle of rotation is for example 90 degrees, as illustrated in the various top views.
• the infuser is mounted on a pivoting link PL connected to the walls of the container via an arm A.
• this apparatus further comprises an actuator AC that can be activated by a user for rotating the infuser, such as an electrical motor activated by a switch (not shown) operated by the user to move the second system between the first position PI and the second position P2.
• the second system comprises a drainage assembly mounted on the infuser 14.
• the infuser is fixed, while the drainage assembly can move between the first position PI and the second position P2.
• the drainage assembly DA5 may correspond to a siphon assembly DA5 comprising a mechanism C, such as a clip, to allow the drainage assembly to move (e.g. through manual user action) along the upper edge of infuser 14 between the first position PI and the second position P2.
• This drainage assembly can advantageously be mounted on an apparatus as depicted in Fig.15-16-20-21.
• the container further comprises a heating element (not shown) placed in the bottom part BP of the container.
• the heating element is intended for heating the solvent.
• the heating element may correspond to a resistor (not illustrated) connected to an electrical source.
• the heating element is intended for heating the solvent in the container, so that heated solvent is used in the infuser for rinsing ingredients, and then for brewing ingredients in the container.
• the first system 15 comprises a fluid pump for pumping solvent from said container into said infuser.
• the first system 15 comprises:
• the air flow is illustrated by empty circles in solvent, under the first extremity.
• the air pump may be of any type, but is preferably a diaphragm air pump. Air originating from outside the container is pumped into the container.
• the tube T preferably extends vertically, so as to facilitate the movement of the air flow and the solvent in the tube. However, the tube may also be such that its main axis departs from the vertical direction, for example by an angle between 0 and 45 degrees.
• the tube T is preferably cylindrical- shaped, but may alternatively have different shapes, such as a corkscrew- shape, or a curved-shape.
• the tube T advantageously has an average diameter between 5 and 7 millimeters, or an average sectional area between 19.6 and 38.5 square millimeters.
• the first extremity of tube T has a funnel-shaped entrance so that an air flow generated by the air pump can more easily enter the tube.
• the air pump advantageously generates an air flow of between 1 and 2 liters per minute, and in order for the tube to be efficient at least 80 % of this air flow should enter the tube at the first extremity.
• the solvent can reach the upper part of the tube while having a temperature much below the boiling temperature of the solvent, which temperature can thus be adapted to the ingredients used.
• the heating power of the heating element is such that the solvent is heated to a temperature in excess of 60 degrees Centigrade, so as to improve the pumping effect in the tube T.
• the invention also relates to a method of preparing a beverage from a solvent and ingredients, using a container containing the solvent and an infuser containing the ingredients.
• the method corresponds to various steps conducted by the various apparatus according to the invention described above. The method comprises the steps of:
• this step is carried out to perform the rinsing of ingredients.
• this step is carried out to perform the brewing of ingredients.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Apparatus For Making Beverages (AREA)
• Devices For Dispensing Beverages (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=46321173

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 2012
  • 2012-05-08 JP JP2014511978A patent/JP2014515963A/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2012-05-08 EP EP12728788.6A patent/EP2713837B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2012-05-08 RU RU2013156571A patent/RU2651887C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2012-05-08 US US14/115,006 patent/US20140087043A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2012-05-08 WO PCT/IB2012/052279 patent/WO2012160466A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2012-05-08 BR BR112013029690A patent/BR112013029690A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (4)

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